AN ECO project to encourage rail passengers to walk, cycle or use public transport to access Swindon railway station has been launched.

The Access To Stations Project is being delivered locally by the charity Sustrans, in partnership with First Great Western and Swindon Council.

It will see practical measures put in place, such as more bicycle storage, to encourage people to ditch their cars for a journey to the station.

On Thursday night residents and other interested parties attended an initial consultation event, at Steam railway museum, off Fire Fly Avenue, where they were asked to share their own ideas to help identify what currently works well at the station, and what could be improved, in terms of access.

Results of this and further discussions will help to form a new station plan for Swin-don, outlining priorities for future development of the station for five years.

Ben Spencer, the project co-ordinator for the Access To Stations project in Swindon, said Sustrans nationally had received £8m from the Government to improve access to stations in eight local authority areas.

It is hoped to use some of it in Swindon to install more cycle parking and signage, plus a secure locker for foldable bicycles.

He said: “This project is finding out about the kinds of things, very practical, that make these kinds of journeys easier.

“It may be in the future there’s more money available to do great big projects but in a lot of cases we can make quite big improvements by making quite small changes.

“In Bristol Parkway, they ended up with having bus information boards in the station so as you get off of the train you can see immediately what buses are available and when they’re leaving so it’s much easier making a seamless trip on a bus.”

Paul Jenkins, the managing director of Thamesdown Transport, said he wanted to raise awareness of the Plus Bus product, which allows rail commuters unlimited travel in a town of their choice for a day, week or month.

He said he would also look at whether there were any gaps to fill in terms of bus services to the station.

Dick Millard, of Old Town, a Sustrans volunteer ranger, said: “I’m a cyclist and a big thing for me would be better cycle parking at the station.

“They have got a quite big cycle rack parking in between platforms one and three.

“But it’s often full and there’s a really scrappy one up the top which doesn’t have many spaces and it’s not securely built.”

A draft plan is expected to be drawn up in the summer, with the final plan ready in the autumn.